Lorna Doone · Chapter
Lorna Growing Formidable explained
John Ridd returns to the Doone Valley on St.
What happens
John Ridd returns to the Doone Valley on St. Valentine's Day, seven years after his first encounter with Lorna. He finds the stream shallower and climbs the rocky slide more easily. He hears Lorna singing an ancient love song and sees her among the primroses. Overcome by her beauty, he reveals himself and she recognizes him. They speak briefly, with Lorna warning him of the danger, but John promises to bring her eggs. Afterward, Uncle Reuben Huckaback cross-examines John about his visit, but John manages to keep the truth hidden.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Sacrifice
John's return to the dangerous Doone Valley is driven by his love for Lorna, and he is willing to risk his life for a chance to see her. Lorna's song and her warning about the peril underscore the theme of love intertwined with sacrifice.
Nature and the Rural World
The chapter is rich with descriptions of the spring landscape—the stream, primroses, celandine, and the valley's sheltered beauty—which mirror John's emotional state and his connection to the natural world.
Social Class and Inequality
John feels acutely aware of his lowly birth and rough manners compared to Lorna's grace and breeding, reflecting the social divide between them.
Characters to notice
- John Ridd
Returns to the Doone Valley on St. Valentine's Day, seven years after his first meeting with Lorna. He is now twenty-one, self-conscious about his size, and deeply enamored with Lorna.
- Lorna Doone
Now older and more formidable, she sings an ancient love song by the stream. She recognizes John immediately and warns him of the dangers of the valley, though she smiles and allows him to visit her bower.
- Uncle Reuben Huckaback
Cross-examines John on the homeward road, noting his confusion and eager gaze. He tries to learn about John's visit to the Doone valley but is misled by John's silence and his own overconfidence.
- Annie Ridd
Mentioned as the one who scolds John for not putting wood on the fire, but she does so with a smile and handles the task herself.
- John Fry
Mentioned in John's thoughts as a man of smaller stature whom John could lift with one hand, contrasting with John's own size.
Key passages
“I am John Ridd,” I answered; “the boy who gave you those beautiful fish, when you were only a little thing, seven years ago today.””
John identifies himself to Lorna as the boy who gave her fish seven years earlier.
This moment re-establishes their connection after seven years.
“The wind hath a draw after flying straw” is a saying we have in Devonshire, made, peradventure, by somebody who had seen the ways of women.”
John reflects on a local proverb suggesting that women are drawn to men who seem indifferent.
John's internal commentary reveals his naive understanding of courtship.
“Love, an if There Be One, Come My Love to Be, My Love is for the One Loving Unto Me.”
The song Lorna sings speaks of a love that is reciprocal and true, valuing sincerity over show.
The song foreshadows the developing relationship between John and Lorna.